The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold | reviews, news & interviews

The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

Leonardo's disputed Salvator Mundi has just topped the list. Who else is on it?

by TheartsdeskThursday, 16 November 2017

Yesterday the record for the most expensive painting ever sold was broken. At Christie's in New York Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi the hammer was knocked down on a price of $450 million. It's a lot of money, period, and even more for a painting which some doubt is by Leonardo at all. One doubter insists that Leonardo the great scientist would have refracted the light through the orb in Christ's hands. That won't bother the buyer, whose identity is unknown.

Salvator Mundi soars to the top of the list of the 75 most expensive paintings sold in the last 30 years. The recent Leonardo discovery was already on the list at no 19, having sold for $131.1 million in 2012. It now soars high above Willem De Kooning's Interchange ($300 million, sold 2015). Salvator Mundi is also the earliest work in the list. The newest is Jean-Michel Basquiat's Untitled, painted in 1982 ($110.5 million, 2017).

This list is based on prices at current values calculated by Wikipedia. It strays back three decades to the purchase of two Van Goghs. The big market surge came in 1989 when the record for an old master – Pontormo's Portrait of a Halberdier – was sold to the Getty Museum for what is now $68 million. The 1990s was a fallow decade in which only two painters could command high prices: Van Gogh (four entries) and Picasso (two). In 2006 the market suddenly rose for post-war work by De Kooning, Johns and Pollock. That year three paintings were sold for the equivalent of more than $160 million.

While paintings continued to go for eye-watering sums, the record held until 2011 when Cézanne’s The Card Players was sold for $259 million. The market has been at its most obscenely inflated in recent years. Seven of the top 75 sales happened in 2012, five in 2013, six in 2014, nine in 2015, five in 2016, and two this year (the other entry for 2017 is Roy Lichtenstein's Masterpiece.) The overwhelming majority of these works ended up in private hands.

The artists with the most entries hold few surprises. Picasso: 13. Van Gogh: eight. Warhol: seven. Rothko: six. De Kooning: four. Cézanne, Modigliani, Titian, Bacon: three. Johns, Monet, Lichtenstein, Klimt, Pollock, Newman: two.

Below is the list of the top, while the gallery overleaf shows some of the top 75, leading towards the most expensive in history.

Leonardo da Vinci: Salvator Mundi - $131.1m, sold 2012 De Kooning: Interchange - $300m, sold 2015
Gauguin: Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) - $300m, sold 2015
Cézanne: The Card Players - $259m, sold 2011
Pollock: Number 17A - $202m, sold 2015
Rothko: No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) - $188m, sold 2014
Rembrandt: Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit - $182m, sold 2015
Picasso: Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O") - $181.2m, sold 2012
Modigliani: Nu Couché - $172.2m, sold 2015
Pollock: No. 5, 1948 - $166.3m, sold 2006
De Kooning: Woman III - $163.4m, sold 2006
Klimt: Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I - $160.4m, sold 2006
Picasso: Le Rêve - $159.4m, sold 2013
Van Gogh: Portrait of Dr. Gachet - $151.2m, sold 1990
Klimt: Adele Bloch-Bauer II - $150m, sold 2016
Lichtenstein: Masterpiece - $150m, sold 2017
Bacon: Three Studies of Lucian Freud - $146.4m, sold 2013
Renoir: Bal du moulin de la Galette - $143.2m, sold 1990
Picasso: Garçon à la pipe - $132.1m, sold 2004
Munch: The Scream - $125.1m, sold 2012
Modigliani: Reclining Nude With Blue Cushion - $123m, sold 2012
Johns: Flag - $120.8m, sold 2010
Picasso: Nude, Green Leaves and Bust - $116.9m, sold 2010
Van Gogh: Portrait of Joseph Roulin - $115.9m, sold 1989
Van Gogh: Irises - $113.6m, sold 1987
Picasso: Dora Maar au Chat - $113.1m, sold 2006
Warhol: Eight Elvises - $111.2m, sold 2008
Basquiat: Untitled - $110.5m, sold 2017
Newman: Anna's Light - $108.7m, sold 2013
Warhol: Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) - $108.4m, sold 2013
Van Gogh: Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe - $105.1m, sold 1998
Cézanne: La Montagne Sainte-Victoire vue du bosquet du Château Noir - $103m, sold 2013
Rubens: Massacre of the Innocents - $102.1m, sold 2002
Lichtenstein: Nurse - $96.4m, sold 2016
Bacon: Triptych, 1976 - $96m, sold 2008
Picasso: Les Noces de Pierrette - $95.3m, sold 1905
Johns: False Start - $95m, sold 2006
Van Gogh: A Wheatfield with Cypresses - $94.5m, sold 1993
Picasso: Yo, Picasso - $92.5m, sold 1989
Warhol: Turquoise Marilyn - $92.4m, sold 2007
Titian: Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, Marquis of Vasto, in Armour with a Page - $91.1m, sold 2003
Rothko: Orange, Red, Yellow - $90.6m, sold 2012
Monet: Le Bassin aux Nymphéas - $89.6m, 2008
Cézanne: Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier - $87m, 1989
Newman: Black Fire I - $85.1m, 2014
Rothko: White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) - $84.1m, 200
Van Gogh: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers - $83.6m, 1987
Warhol: Triple Elvis - $82.9m, 2014
Warhol: Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) - $82.8m, 2007
Rothko: No 10 - $82.8, sold 2015
Monet: Meule - $81.4m, sold 2016
Bacon: Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards - $81.7m, 2014
Holbein: Darmstadt Madonna - est. $80m, 2011
Titian: Diana and Actaeon - $78.8m, 2009
Picasso: Au Lapin Agile - $78.6m, 1989
Eakins: The Gross Clinic - $78.5m, 2007
Rothko: No 1 (Royal Red and Blue) - $78.4m, 2012
Picasso: Acrobate et jeune arlequin - $78m, 1988
Picasso: Femme aux bras croisés - $76.5m, 2000
Modigliani: Nude Sitting on a Divan ("La Belle Romaine") $75.7m, 2010
De Kooning: Police Gazette - $75.4m, 2006
Titian: Diana and Callisto - $74.8m, 2012
Twombly: Untitled (New York City) - $71.3m, 2015
Picasso: Femme assise dans un jardin - $71.2m, 1999
Van Gogh: Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat - $70.9m, 1997
Twombly: Untitled - $70.4m, 2014
Warhol: Four Marlons - $70.4m, 2014
Qi Baishi: Eagle Standing on Pine Tree - $69.7, 2011
Warhol: Men in Her Life - $69.6m, 2010
Picasso: La Gommeuse - $68.2m, 2015
Picasso: Buste de femme (Femme à la résille) - $68.1m, 2015
Pontormo: Portrait of a Halberdier - $68m, 1989
Van Gogh: L’Allée des Alyscamps - $67m, 2015
De Kooning: Untitled XXV - $66.3m, 2016
Rothko: Untitled - $67m, 2016

Overleaf: browse a gallery of the world's most expensive paintings

CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS TO ENLARGE

Rothko: Untitled - $67m, sold 2016

De Kooning: Untitled XXV - $66.3m, sold 2016

Van Gogh: L’Allée des Alyscamps - $67m, sold 2015

Pontormo: Portrait of a Halberdier - $68m, sold 1989

Picasso: Buste de femme (Femme à la résille) - $68.1m, sold 2015

Picasso: La Gommeuse - $68.2m, sold 2015

Warhol: Men in Her Life - $69.6, sold 2010

Qi Baishi: Eagle Standing on Pine Tree - $69.7, sold 2011

Warhol: Four Marlons - $70.4m, sold 2014

Twombly: Untitled - $70.4m, sold 2014

Van Gogh: Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat - $70.9m, sold 1997

Picasso: Femme assise dans un jardin - $71.2m, sold 1999

Twombly: Untitled (New York City) - $71.3m, sold 2015

Titian: Diana and Callisto - $74.8m, sold 2012

De Kooning: Police Gazette - $75.4m, sold 2006

Modigliani: Nude Sitting on a Divan ("La Belle Romaine") - $75.7m, sold 2010

Picasso: Femme aux Bras Croisés - $76.5m, sold 2000

Picasso: Acrobate et jeune arlequin - $78m, sold 1988

Rothko: No 1 (Royal Red and Blue) - $78.4m, sold 2012

Eakins: The Gross Clinic - $78.5m, sold 2007

Picasso: Au Lapin Agile - $78.6m, sold 1989

Titian: Diana and Actaeon - $78.8m, sold 2009

Holbein: Darmstadt Madonna - est. $80m, sold 2011

Bacon: Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards - $81.7m, sold 2014

Monet: Meule - $81.4m, sold 2016

Rothko: No 10 - $82.8m, sold 2015

Warhol: Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) - $82.8m, sold 2007

Warhol: Triple Elvis - $82.9m, sold 2014

Van Gogh: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers - $83.6m, sold 1987

Rothko: White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) - $84.1m, sold 2007

Barnett Newman: Black Fire I - $85.1m, sold 2014

Cézanne: Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier - $87m, sold 1989

Monet: Le Bassin aux Nymphéas - $89.6m, sold 2008

Rothko: Orange, Red, Yellow - $90.6m, sold 2012

Titian: Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, Marquis of Vasto, in Armor with a Page - $91.1m, sold 2003

Warhol: Turquoise Marilyn - $92.4m, sold 2007

Picasso: Yo, Picasso - $92.5m, sold 1989

Van Gogh: A Wheatfield with Cypresses - $94.5m, sold 1993

Johns: False Start - $95m, sold 2006

Picasso: Les Noces de Pierrette - $95.3m, sold 1905

Bacon: Triptych, 1976 - $96m, sold 2008

Lichtenstein: Nurse - $96.4m, sold 2016

Rubens: Massacre of the Innocents - $102.1m, sold 2002

Cézanne: La Montagne Sainte-Victoire vue du bosquet du Château Noir - $103m, sold 2013

Van Gogh: Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe - $105.1m, sold 1998

Warhol: Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) - $108.4m, sold 2013

Newman: Anna's Light - $108.7m, sold 2013

Basquiat: Untitled - $110.5m, sold 2017

Warhol: Eight Elvises - $111.2m, sold 2008

Picasso: Dora Maar au Chat - $113.1m, sold 2006

Van Gogh: Irises - $113.6m, sold 1987

Van Gogh: Portrait of Joseph Roulin - $115.9m, sold 1989

Picasso: Nude, Green Leaves and Bust - $116.9m, sold 2010

Johns: Flag - $120.8m, sold 2010

Modigliani: Reclining Nude With Blue Cushion - $123m, sold 2012

Munch: The Scream - $125.1m, sold 2012

Picasso: Garçon à la pipe - $132.1m, sold 2004

Renoir: Bal du moulin de la Galette - $143.2m, sold 1990

Bacon: Three Studies of Lucian Freud - $146.4m, sold 2013

Lichtenstein: Masterpiece - $150m, sold 2017

Klimt: Adele Bloch-Bauer II - $150m, sold 2016

Van Gogh: Portrait of Dr. Gachet - $151.2m, sold 1990

Picasso: Le Rêve - $159.4m, sold 2013

Klimt: Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I - $160.4m, sold 2006

De Kooning: Woman III - $163.4m, sold 2006

Pollock: No. 5, 1948 - $166.3m, sold 2006

Modigliani: Nu Couché - $172.2m, sold 2015

Picasso: Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O") - $181.2m, sold 2012

Rembrandt: Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit - $182m, sold 2015

Rothko: No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) - $188m, sold 2014

Pollock: Number 17A - $202m, sold 2015

Cézanne: The Card Players - $259m, sold 2011

Gauguin: Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) - $300m, sold 2015

De Kooning: Interchange - $300m, sold 2015

Leonardo da Vinci: Salvator Mundi - $131.1m, sold 2012

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